Textile drafting apparatus



June 26, 1956 w. A. HUNTER ET AL TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1952 June 26, 1956 w. A. HUNTER ET AL TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1952 United States Patent 2,751,631 TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS William Aldred Hunter, Reginald Mayman Blackburn, and Walter Nutter, Helmshore, Rossendale, England, assignors to T. M. M. (Research) Limited, Rossendale, England Application February 19, 1952, Serial No. 272,444

Claims priority, application Great February 28, 1951 6 Claims. (31. 19-431 The invention has reference to the drafting apparatus used in textile spinning, doubling and twisting machines, such apparatus being of the known type in which the sliver, roving or the like is conducted in its passage through the drafting zone between the forwardly moving surfaces of an endless travelling apron and a single roller about an arc of the surface of which said apron is stretched, the apron being trained between two spaced members of which the rearmost is a roller (the aprondriving roller) pressed against said single roller to provide a positive driving nip for the apron and a positive restraining nip for the trailing ends of the fibres composing' the sliver, roving or the like, whilst the other member (the foremost apron guiding-member) is a bar or a small diameter roller located in an advanced position spaced from the said single roller and nearer to the nip of the next line of drafting rollers. The present invention has for its object to provide improved means whereby a drafting apparatus of said type may be adapted for processing a wide range of alternative lengths of staple without entailing a complicated adjustment of its elements or the replacement of the principal parts of the drafting mechanism.

In a' textile drafting apparatus of the type referred to, the invention provides that the leading edge or hose of the apron where it passes over the foremost apron-guiding member shall be adjustable in position both with respect to its distance from the nip of the next following drafting rollers and to the plane containing the nip of the next following drafting rollers and the nip of the apron driving-roller, thereby simultaneously affording an adjustment of the'length of the arc of contact between the apron and the single roller over which the apron is stretched.

The invention provides improved means by which such adjustment of the position of the nose of the apron may be effected. Such means may consist of a foremost apronguiding member formed preferably as a bar of non-circular cross-sectional shape, capable of being rotated about its longitudinal axis and fixed in any desired setting. Alternatively, a bar or roller of circular section may be capable of being moved laterally with components of motion in the vertical and horizontal planes containing its longitudinal axis. Another alternative method of carrying the invention into effect consists insubstituting for the foremost apron guiding member other members of different cross-sectional shapes and/or dimensions providing alternative positions for the nose of the apron.

it is convenient to employ an arrangement comprising an upper apron working in conjunction with a single lower roller, since this permits all the upper drafting elements and the apron assembly, including its foremost guiding,- membervand the apron-guiding roller, to be carried by a common supporting arm pivoted on a fixed part of .the frame and adapted to be raised to and retained in an eleva'tedposition giving uninterrupted access to the lower drafting elements. It is also possible in such an arrangement to utilisethe common supporting arm for the susice pension of selvedge guides inclose proximity to the: roller nips and having means whereby said guides may either partake automatically of the traversing movement of the fibre-body under treatment or be traversed positively by mechanism expressly provided for that purpose.

Various alternative embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which Fig. l is a fore-and-aft section of a textile drafting apparatus incorporating two draftingzones using three lines of rollers. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail illustrating an alternative method to that shown. in Fig. 1 of mounting the foremost apron-guiding member. Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views, respectively from front and rear, of the apron system shown in Fig, 1,

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 comprises a roller.- stand 1, carrying in bearings 2i, 3 and 4', respectively, three lines of bottom rollers, viz. the feed roller 5, the intermediate roller 6 and the front fluted roller 7. Also mounted on the roller-stand 1, is a pivotal supporting arm 8 by which the upper drafting elements are carried in bearings 9, 10, 11 and 12. The arm 3 is of inverted channel-section'(see Fig. 4) and the bearings 9, l0 and 11 are slidable thereon in a fore-and-aft direction. Said bearings 9 to 12 respectively support the upper feed roller 13, the apron-guiding roller 14, the foremost apron-guiding member'15' and the upper front roller 16. A continuous apron 17 is stretched over the'roller 14 and the guiding member 15, condensers 18 and 19 are mounted on the bearings 2 and 3 so as to occupy positions on the intake'side'of the nip of'the respectiverollers Sand 6, and a seivedge guide 8a is supported at the rearend of the arm 8. The arm 8, together with the members carried thereby as aforesaid, is rockable toward and away from the lower elements, including the roller 6.

The settings of the bearings 9, 10' and 11 are fixed to provide the desired inter-roller spacing, according to the length of staple of the material under treatment, by means of setscrews 29, 21 and 22 respectively.

The lower intermediate roller 6 is of substantially larger diameter than is the conventional drafting roller occupying this position, and it is preferably provided with a soft covering or tire of synthetic rubber'or other similarly resilient durable material. This roller .is con veniently constituted by a shaft 23 upon which .arefix'ed ground steel sleeves 61 spaced in accordance with the spindle gauge, each such sleeve being provided with a covering or the 62 as aforesaid. Said shaft 23 may. ex; tend continuously throughout the length of the machine, or of a section thereof, means being provided for driving it at the appropriate speed for intake of the roving on sliver to be drafted. It is desirable that said lower roller 6 should be of larger diameter than the next succeeding lower roller encountered by the fibres.

The apron-guiding roller 14 is a plain roller, having end-flanges 24 which serve to guide the apron I7 truly over "its surface and also to locate 'the apron with respect to the lower roller 6 over which it is stretched, said flanges 24 extending radially to overlap the ends of the tire 6,2 of the'lowe'r roller 6. The foremost apron-guiding meniber 15 and the rearfianged driving roller14 are so disposed With reference to the large lower roller 6 thatithe apron 17 .is' stretched with its under-surface around a substantial arc of the upper surface of the latter. The flanged roller 14 presses the apron against the :large lower roller 6, thereby providing the necessary positive nip whereby the apron I7 is driven forwardly on its underside The foremost apron-guiding member .15 .is a harof non-circular cross-sectional shape having one axis longer than the other; this bar is normally stationary, its edges being rounded to facilitate the passageof the. apronabout it, but it may be rotated about its longitudinal axis by releasing the setscrew 25, and raised or lowered by releasing the setscrew 26, when necessary for the purpose of regulating the position of the nose of the apron system (a) with respect to its distance from the nip of the next line of rollers ,7,, 16, and (b) with respect to. the plane containing the nip of the rollers 7, 16 and .thenip of the apron-guiding roller 14 with the roller 6, simultaneously affording an adjustment of the length of the arc of contact of the apron 17 with the roller 6. may be arranged to be slightly off-set from its .axis of, rotation in the bearing 11.

1The' fibres are conducted between the upper surface of the large lower roller 6 and the under-surface of the If desired, the bar 'apron'17, which conforms to the curvature of said roller 6, over a substantial, though variable, are of said roller From the point at which the apron 17 leaves said lower roller 6, the body of fibres is unsupported from beneath and thecontrol over the fibres in their relative movement due to the drafting effect is limited to that which line. Conversely, when longerstaples are being procces'sed, said guiding-member 15 is adjusted so as to withdraw the nose of the apron 17 from the next roller'nip and thereby to increase the length of the arc of contact between the apron 17 and the lower roller 6, automatically increasing the displacement of the apron nose belowthe yarn line and, by deflecting the fibre-body around the apron nose, giving enhanced control over the fibres in the comparatively long distance separating the apron-driving nip and the nip of the next rollers 7, 16. The apparatus may be adapted for treating fibres of supernormal staple lengths by shifting the apron system 14, 17,15 bodily in a fore-and-aft direction, the flanged idler 14 being maintained always in driving contact with the, large lower roller 6, and the foremost guiding-memher 15 being'alway's so located that the apron 17 leaves thesurface of said large lower roller 6 before arriving at said guiding-member 15. Where it is necessary to increaseor decrease the effective length of the apron-system itself, the apron guiding roller 14 and, the foremost guidother, and in such case an idler roller or pulley may be provided for maintaining the correct operating tension of the apron; such idler roller might, if desired, also perform the function of an apron clearer. 7

In the modificationshown in Fig. 2 the bearings of the members '14 and 15 are carried by a common element or bracket 27; this arrangement does not however permit independent or relative fore and aft adjustment of said bearings. r r I" 'To enable the apparatus to be used for drafting a wide variety of staple length of fibres, provision is made for decreasing the loading pressure 'between the flanged apron-roller and the large lower roller, in such manner as to permit a slip' draf to be employed. The roller 14, injcommonwith therollers 13 and 16,. is convenienfly pressed against its cooperating element 6 by means 'of a compression spring 28 housed in the bearing'ltl, and the loading pressure of saidspring may be 'varied as af ore-. said by regulating the degree of compre'ssion' 'of said spring 28 by a screw 29. n The arrangement whereby all the fibres-controlling means are mounted upon the loaded arm 8 substantially simplifies the problem .of manipulating these parts of the mechanism during cleaning and correspondingly reduces thework load on the operative. a What we ,claim' as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: J j

1. A drafting apparatus comprising, in combination, a large lower drafting roller, an apron opposed to said roller and bearing against it from above over an extensive are for pressing the fibers against the roller and for driving the apron, an apron guiding roller disposed above and behind the lower drafting roller, a forward guide for the apron, an advance pair of drafting rollers beyond the forward guide, the forward guide being spaced forwardly away from said lower drafting roller, means for supporting and adjusting the forward guide in position independently of said apron guiding roller, and

both with respect to its distance from the nip of the advance pair of drafting rollers, with respect to the plane containing said nip and thenip of said large lower drafting roller, and with respect to the nip of the apron guiding roller, thereby simultaneously affording an adjustment of the length of the arc of contact between the apron and the single drafting roller over which the apron is stretched. n

2. A drafting apparatus comprising, in combination, a large lower drafting roller, an apron opposed to said roller and bearing against it from above over an extensive are for pressing the fibers against the rollerand for driving the apron, an apron guiding roller disposed above and behind the lower drafting roller, a forward guide for the apron, an advance pair of drafting rollers beyond the forward guide, the forward guide being spaced forwardly away from said lower draftingroller, and means for supporting and adjusting the forward guide in position, independently of said apron guiding roller, andwith respect to its distance from the nip of the advance pair of drafting rollers, and with respect to the plane containing said nip and the nip of said large lower drafting I roller, thereby simultaneously affording an adjustment of the length of the arc of contact between the apron and the single drafting roller over which the apron is stretched, the forward apron guide consisting of a bar of tnoncircular cross sectional shape and the supporting and adjusting means therefor comprising means for rotatively supporting the bar and securing it in different positions of rotative adjustment, and means v for setting the bar supporting means toward and from the trip of the advance pair of draftingtrollers. I

3. A drafting apparatus comprisingpin combination, a large lower drafting roller, anapronopposed to said roller andbearing againstit from above over an entenfor the apron, an advance pair, of drafting rollers beyond the forward guide, the forward guide being spaced forwardly away from said lower drafting roller, means for supporting and adjusting the forward guide in position, independently of said apron guiding roller, and respect to its distance from the nip of the advance pair of drafting rollers, and with respectto the plane contain: ing said nip and the nip of said large lower drafting roller, thereby simultaneously affording an adjustr nent of the arc of contact between the apron and the single drafting roller over which the apron is stretched, arockf able upper arm movable toward and from man le large lower drafting roller, and means supporting the apron guiding roller and the forward apronguide fromsaid arm with the apron extending between them. i 4. A drafting apparatus comprising,"in" combination, a large lower drafting roller, an'apronopposed'to said roller and bearing against it from above over an exten with respect to its distance from the nip of the advance pair of drafting rollers, and with respect to the plane containing said nip and the nip of said large lower drafting roller, thereby simultaneously affording an adjustment of the length of the arc of contact between the apron and the single drafting roller over which the apron is stretched, a rockable upper arm movable toward and from the single large lower drafting roller, and means supporting the apron guiding roller and the forward apron guide from said arm with the apron extending between them.

5. A drafting apparatus comprising, in combination, a large lower drafting roller, an apron opposed to said roller and bearing against it from above over an extensive are for pressing the fibers against the roller and for driving the apron, an apron guiding roller disposed above and behind the lower drafting roller, a forward guide for the apron, an advance pair of drafting rollers beyond the forward guide, the forward guide being spaced forwardly away from said lower drafting roller, means for supporting and adjusting the forward guide in position, independently of said apron guiding roller, and with respect to its distance from the nip of the advance pair of drafting rollers, and with respect to the plane containing said nip and the nip of said large lower drafting roller, thereby simultaneously affording an adjustment of the length of the arc of contact between the apron and the single drafting roller over which the apron is stretched, a rockable upper arm movable toward and from the single large lower drafting roller, a bracket supported on the arm with capacity for fore and aft adjustment, and means for securing the bracket in diflerent adjusted positions, said apron guiding roller and forward apron guide being supported in common by said bracket.

6. A drafting apparatus comprising, in combination, a large lower drafting roller, an apron opposed to said roller and bearing against it from above over an extensive are for pressing the fibers against the roller and for driving the apron, an apron guiding roller disposed above and behind the lower drafting roller, a forward guide for the apron, an advance pair of drafting rollers beyond the forward guide, the forward guide being spaced forwardly away from said lower drafting roller, means for supporting and adjusting the forward guide in position, independently of said apron guiding roller, and with respect to its distance from the nip of the advance pair of drafting rollers, and with respect to the plane containing said nip and the nip of said large lower drafting roller, thereby simultaneously afiording an adjustment of the length of the arc of contact between the apron and the single drafting roller over which the apron is stretched, a rockable upper arm movable toward and from the single large lower drafting roller about an axis parallel to the axis of said large lower drafting roller, the apron guiding roller and the forward apron guide being supported by said arm with the apron extending between them, and the guide supporting and adjusting means comprising a bracket mounted on the arm, and a hearing for the forward guide mounted on the bracket with capacity for adjustment at right angles to the plane containing the longitudinal axis of the supporting arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,318 Casablancas Apr. 7, 1936 2,188,408 Kluftinger Ian. 30, 1940 2,193,196 Jackson Mar. 12, 1940 2,332,973 Louie Oct. 26, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 336,986 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1930 662,001 Germany July 2, 1938 

1. A DRAFTING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A LARGE LOWER DRAFTING ROLLER, AN APRON OPPOSED TO SAID ROLLER AND BEARING AGAINST IT FROM ABOVE OVER AN EXTENSIVE ARC FOR PRESSING THE FIBERS AGAINST THE ROLLER AND FOR DRIVING THE APRON, AN APRON GUIDING ROLLER DISPOSED ABOVE AND BEHIND THE LOWER DRAFTING ROLLER, A FORWARD GUIDE FOR THE APRON, AN ADVANCE PAIR OF DRAFTING ROLLERS BEYOND THE FORWARD GUIDE, THE FORWARD BEING SPACED FORWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID LOWER DRAFTING ROLLER, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING THE FORWARD GUIDE IN POSITION INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID APRON GUIDING ROLLER, AND BOTH WITH RESPECT TO ITS DISTANCE FROM THE NIP OF THE ADVANCE PAIR OF DRAFTING ROLLERS, WITH RESPECT TO THE PLANE CONTAINING SAID NIP AND THE NIP OF SAID LARGE LOWER DRAFTING ROLLER, AND WITH RESPECT TO THE NIP OF THE APRON GUIDING ROLLER, THEREBY SIMULTANEOUSLY AFFORDING AN ADJUSTMENT OF THE LENGTH OF THE ARC OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE APRON AND THE SINGLE DRAFTING ROLLER OVER WHICH THE APRON IS STRETCHED. 